Seven Steps to Awakening
6) Tranquility of Temperament (Samādhi)
When the mind is free of the five hindrances, the five constituents of ecstasy (jhāna) are experienced: Conceptual thinking in two parts: 1) inquiry (vitakka), and 2) inference (vicāra), 3) cognitive ecstasy (pīti), 4) Physical comfort (sukha) due to relaxation of the body, and 5) the unified mind (ekaggatā). The mind becomes unified due to absence of emotional disturbances or cognitive dissonance (vicikicca). This means, one has entered the first ecstasy (paṭhamajjhāna). This is the sixth step in the seven stepped process of awakening. Cognitive ecstasy flows into Physical relaxation, which flows into tranquillity of the affective process, resulting in the first ecstasy. Thus is the gradual flow of events in the process of awakening leading to stillness of mind, or mental equilibrium (samādhi).